Catch Me If You Can (The Mancini Way) (6 page)

I was on my second snifter of Louis XIV cognac when she walked in it's a good thing I was sitting alone because my reaction was very unHank like. She fucking caught me off guard; in her official photo you can see the potential for beauty with her tightly pulled back hair, face bare of enhancements she looked about eighteen there; beautiful yes, but you couldn’t get the full effect, the woman standing before me was no hidden beauty she was fucking gorgeous. All that jet-black hair down around her shoulders with those blue blue eyes in a face molded and sculpted to perfection. At least that’s what she looked like to me as she stood there. Two things went through my head at once, my heart had kicked, I’ll have to examine that later, and my dick took notice, something that hasn’t happened in too long to remember. I’d become so jaded that sex was just something you did to scratch an itch. Something told me things were going to be way different this time.

Her body in the low riding jeans that molded slender hips and the tight top that showed off just a hint of cleavage was spectacular, someone had done their homework, I didn’t go for the overly made-up ass hanging out type. They’d sent me the perfect package, I hope for her sake they knew what the fuck they were doing.

She looked as though she was on the prowl and I knew just who her prey was; I noticed others noticing her as well and my ire rose just a little. Back the fuck off boys, this one’s mine no sense in fighting that persistent feeling in my gut who knows where it would all lead? But I was willing to find out.

After my initial jolt when my body had literally started I played it cool; eyes half lidded I swirled my snifter around as I pretended not to notice her casing the room. I felt the moment her gaze landed on me it was almost like an electrical charge, like touching a live wire. I caught the slight flush and her faltering step from beneath my lashes as well.

Game on.

Cierra

The music sounded like something out of a fast paced movie; one of those race car things with ex-cons always coming out on top; how fitting. I hadn't wanted to make my debut in this way and in this place, Hank Mancini's reportedly favorite nightclub. I'm essentially on his turf but word on the street is that he has a job in the works and we needed to move fast. I'd barely landed in the city before I was being put out to pasture. Agent Sarkozy had met me at the airport as prearranged and literally went right to it. He was rattling off Intel before we reached baggage claims.  “ Our boy has something in the works lots of movement in the last couple days. He also met with Jason Laramie another known criminal who always seems to stay one step ahead of us but we feel pretty positive about this one.” He seemed overly excited and just a tad hyper active he also talked as fast as he walked.

“In the last two days or so Mancini has been seen making the rounds so to speak, this guy never goes into the same place twice at least not within the same time frame so it’s hard really keeping track of who what where and why. As you know we’re no longer allowed by law to plant listening devices or any other kind for that matter in any of his places. The obvious answer to that would’ve been to hit his local hangouts but the thing is he only hangs out in his places. We don’t know as yet who he’s been meeting with except for Laramie but we feel pretty certain there’s something brewing we only get this much action out of him when he has a job lined up, otherwise believe it or not the guy’s kind of a home body. We haven’t seen the girlfriend lately either and I use the term lightly because Mancini as far as we can tell don’t have girlfriends in as much as he has bed partners. He does seem to be monogamous though. So any questions?”

I guess he was finally ready to wind down. “I can’t think of any right this minute no, I’ve studied everything we have on him so far, have sort of a handle on the ins and outs but what I’m not really sure about is why we need a profiler on this one.”

“Well I’m sure you understand you’re more than a profiler on this one, I mean yeah you need to get in there and see what makes this guy tick, but so far everyone we’ve put on him have come up empty, this time we’re hoping to do things a little different, we’re hoping by sending in a female it would make a difference. An attractive female with your skills is like killing two birds with one stone, plus from what I hear you have something unique going on along with your profiling or at least that’s what the boys upstairs seem to think.”

That was kind of news to me but I didn’t let on in anyway as we headed out of the terminal into the busy parking lot. I’d been so caught up in his words I hadn’t even noticed much of anything around me. It was busy as was to be expected in any major city airport with people coming and going by the dozens even at this early hour in the morning.

The black nondescript sedan, which is de rigueur for the bureau was a cool welcome after the early morning heat.

“So you ready Agent Stone?”

“Of course, when do I meet the rest of our team?”

“Um you will get to meet the others in a day or so right now we have to get moving, sorry but there won’t be a grace period I’m afraid we’ll be sending you in and soon as you land.”

“What now?” I looked down at the linen travelling shorts I wore with the silk top that would no doubt be wilted in the next hour in this oppressive heat as he laughed.

“Not right this minute no, but you will be going to his place tonight, like I said we think he’s got something going and though there’s no pattern that we can follow because he’s extremely sly and his movements are never uniform we do hope he’ll show up there tonight. If not we’ll just have to try again tomorrow night, whatever it takes to get you two in the same place at the same time.”

We spent the rest of the ride into lower Manhattan going over every minute detail as I found that I did have some questions after all. Agent Sarkozy was very forthcoming and I didn’t get the resentment vibe I’d lived with on the Farm. By the time he dropped me off at what would be my new place of residence for the next little while, I felt confident that I could do what I came here for, bring down the great Mancini.

Chapter 6

Cierra

It’s a good thing the bureau had shelled out the money for my clothes as well as a stylist as it was a sad fact that I was sorely lacking in this department. Not that I’m a complete and total lost but I always had something of more importance to do than worrying about what I was wearing or how my hair looked. The basic grooming has always worked just fine for me but I understood the need for the extra help they’d provided.

I spent the afternoon relaxing as much as one could relax when about to beard the lion in his den, I went over everything again to the point I could recite it verbatim. I remembered Gracie’s words about being too cocky and took them to heart, it was true I’d heard the stories of others before me who had thought they would be the one to stop the man in his tracks and every last one of them to a man had failed, some of them worst than others. I had no intentions on failing though, one way or the other I was going to get to the bottom of this Mancini curse at it had come to be known.

The club was one of those high-end type deals with chrome, glass and marble everywhere. The seating looked like blue velvet but on closer inspection was actually suede. There was gold -framed beveled glass on all the walls throughout; the platform stage was huge and they were three bars on the first level alone that I could see. I'd asked if it wouldn't have been better to have a partner with me here tonight but my handlers decided that since my purpose was catching Hank's eye it would be better played to fly solo. For some reason I'm extremely nervous all of a sudden, some of my earlier confidence having abated. Thank heaven they didn't make me wear something short and sluttastic or I would really be out of my element. The slim fitting jeans were as far out of my comfort zone as I was willing to go; paired with the V-neck top that bordered on the risqué and the three inch heeled fuck me shoes I guess I fit in perfectly with this crowd.

My first sight of him in the flesh was...okay I'm a federal agent and we're bad ass professionals but the truth of the matter is that my first look at the elusive criminal was awe-inspiring. There I've admitted it to myself, that black wild windblown hair paired with those piercing blue green eyes were damn near lethal together. It didn't help that he had kick ass dimples that were evident even without a smile. I had to play it off like I wasn't here solely to spy on him so I let my gaze just glance off of him but boy did I want to take a second look and how unprofessional was that? You’re here to catch a criminal Cierra not moon over him like an impressionable teenage girl.

I'd barely got enough of a glimpse of broad shoulders in a black V-neck black label with just a speck of white from the undershirt; his hand played with the glass he held between long tapered fingers. No doubt manicured to a high-gloss because for all his criminal mien the guy seemed to like his prissy comforts. Manicures every Tuesday, I'm a female and even I didn't have time to get that done as often as I'd like. I knew his itinerary by heart; aside from the mani-pedis he had a standing appointment every Thursday with one of the top stylists in the city to get his hair done. He bought all his designer suits, well the ones he bought in New York at least from the same high-end menswear design store heavy on the Armani and Gucci. He owns homes in almost every major city here and in Europe or his family does at least and those were only the ones we knew of. It was thought that his net worth was well above a hundred billion and counting; that's way too much money for someone so young to have it just made him a target for all kinds of innuendo and speculation. Like the bureau, they were so sure that he was up to his eyeballs in criminal activities even without a shred of evidence to support their claims and that was due mostly in part to his amassing of such great wealth without anyone knowing how. After all these years they still held fast to their instincts though proof or no proof. The guy has gone through some of the best we had to offer without seemingly missing a step, always coming out on top; that kind of luck had to run out sometime. That's where I come in unlike the others before me who've failed I didn't plan to join that particular rank, if there was something there I would find it. I have to this is my first real assignment after all I couldn’t afford to lose. It didn’t even bother me too much that my superiors had thrown me into shark-infested waters my first time out I couldn’t wait to prove my mettle. The puzzling and just a little confusing thing is I'm still not sure how to go about bringing down the bastard.

"Good evening Miss will there be just the one this evening?" A gorgeous young blonde approached me with a wide smile bringing me back to the present.

"Oh yes I'd prefer something a little farther away from the action if you don't mind."

"No problem this way please." She led me to a corner booth where I could still see the stage but was far enough away not to be caught in the heavy traffic and bonus I was now seated only two tables down from my target.

"Your server will be right with you enjoy your evening."

"Thank you." I'm not exactly comfortable in this sort of environment but my time in the Academy had taught me how to assimilate into any and all situations so I placed my little clutch purse on the table and folded my arms looking for all the world like a bored trust fund baby. My piece was on my ankle but I still felt almost naked with just the one it'll have to do though because there was nowhere to put the other in this getup. Although I'm more of a brain than brawn agent I'm very proficient with weapons and liked feeling the weight of a gun in my bag especially when in enemy territory; though there had never been any reports of Mancini becoming violent, no Mr. Smooth was way too cool for that, he just annihilated his enemies in a whole other and might I add effective way.

I figured enough time had passed that if I took another look it wouldn't seem too obvious but what I wasn't expecting when I turned in his direction was to connect with those jewel toned eyes watching me head-on. Shit they were even more spectacular this close I couldn't imagine what it would be like to look into those babies up close and personal: probably go into shock. He bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement that sexy glare penetrating right through to the core of me, making me feel just a little more out of my element. You better get it together girl this was no time to be lax, but it was like falling into a predator’s eyes. I’ll have to remember to tell Gracie that she was right about the eye candy bit.

I inclined my head slightly but withheld my smile couldn't play too easy now could I? A man like that might grow suspicious if I did that then again he's probably accustomed to strange women coming on to him, I wouldn’t doubt it, the pictures the bureau had of him didn’t even come close.

He lifted his snifter in salute and took a sip, which for some strange reason made me blush; a young nubile thing, which now come to think of it seemed to be the only type working here, came over to take my drink order. I so wanted a milkshake right now. I almost laughed at the thought, yeah that'll look really sophisticated Cierra granted they even served those things in a place like this.

"Do you happen to carry Riesling or maybe a pink Moscato?"

"Yes ma'am we have both this evening what's your preference?"

"I'll go with the Riesling thank you." Have to stick to sweet wines I hate the taste of wine but at least the sweet ones were somewhat palatable. I don't know what the hell is up with the wealthy and their screwball tastes; they enjoyed some of the strangest things, like snails, who the hell ever came up with that idea? Okay Cierra dude put the whammy on you with those orbs or something because you're not exactly thinking like a federal agent right now. In fact you haven't given the job much thought since you got here have you?

Awkward, I have nothing to do with my hands while I wait for my drink, I couldn't very well stare at him and I didn't want to look around like I was casing the joint which is exactly what I'm doing in essence. It was strongly believed by the bureau that this place is clean; there was nothing picked up the one time the Feds had been successful in planting bugs throughout all of Mancini’s establishments then again it only lasted a few days before they'd been detected and removed. Ever since then Hank has been overly vigilant when it came to his businesses, his homes and his offices even his vehicles were swept often apparently. We haven't been able to bug him in years plus with the new Federal laws it wasn't as easy to get warrants to plant listening and spying devices on citizens without solid proof that they were involved in some kind of threatening crime. Everyone knows there was nothing on this guy, every time he came up against law enforcement and won it was bandied about on the front pages and on television; needless to say the public loved him; he was their hero for defeating 'the man' time and again and it didn't matter that he was a multi billionaire the poor of this city thought he did everything but walked on water because of his generosity. I didn't care if he gave every dime to the needy if he’s guilty I’m going to be the one to bring him down I'm sure of it, it didn’t matter that he made my stomach tremble